Military Appreciation Days Parade

The annual Military Appreciation Days Parade will step off at 10:30 a.m. May 27 on Farrow Parkway in The Market Common. Grand Marshal of the parade is Caitlin Bassett, a U.S. Army veteran and actress. Bassett plays Addison Augustine on the NBC primetime series Quantum Leap. She enlisted in the U.S. Army at 18 and completed her basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas.She spent seven years as an intelligence analyst, attaining the rank of staff sergeant.  She completed three combat deployments, two in Afghanistan and one in Qatar.  She also worked at the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) in Hawaii and NSA Main in Maryland before being honorably discharged in 2015.As Grand Marshal, Bassett will lead the parade along Farrow Parkway at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 27, then greet fans immediately afterward at the Family Picnic in Valor Memorial Garden.  Everyone is invited to enjoy the free festivities which include lunch, live music and military exhibits and displays.  The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall also will be available within walking distance of the picnic, next to Crabtree Memorial Gym.After the parade, the community is invited to Valor Memorial Garden for the Big Family Picnic with hamburgers and hot dogs provided by the Omar Chefs Shriners. Members of the band will be at the picnic as well.